Abstract

Disaster and the aftermath of it are terrible. The humankind has experienced
a number of traumatic disasters over the past few decades. As disasters
cannot be prevented, contingency planning for disaster management involving
preparedness, mitigation, relief and rehabilitation are essential. Even though
disaster demands immediate response, the resilience after disaster depends
upon the level of preparedness. The current study addresses Disaster Kit
which is one of the most important priority tools in disaster preparedness. The
Global initiatives for disaster preparedness and reduction should be given
highest priority by the international community. The purpose of the article is
to disseminate information related to disaster preparedness kit to the entire
scientific community thereby empowering the concept of disaster preparedness
to enable each individual and family to remain comfortable during and after
disaster.

Keywords: Disaster; Disaster preparedness; Disaster Kit

Introduction

Disasters in modern times have transcended borders of nation,
class and have devastating impact in terms of human and material
losses [1]. A wide variety of disasters, natural as well as manmade
are faced by human beings, since the beginning of human evolution
[2]. A disaster may lead to number expected adjustments: immediate
displacement from place of living and community, difficulties in
temporary shelters, lose of livelihood, uncertainties about future and
demands of rebuilding of life [3]. However the major impact of disaster
could be mitigated by proper household emergency preparedness
[4,5]. The resilience is a core component of disaster preparedness as
‘‘the capacity of individuals and systems to cope and maintain positive
functioning in the face of significant adversity or risk’’ [6]. Emergency
preparedness involves knowing the risks particular to a community,
developing an emergency plan, and having an emergency kit in the
home containing food, water, and medical supplies to shelter in place
for 72h [7,8].

Need of Disaster Kit

The human and economic loss resulting from disasters have made
the community and nations to think on strategies for mitigating the
risk and vulnerability associated with it. The survival after a disaster
should be thought and planned in advance. The planning involves
preparation in terms of food, water and other supplies in sufficient
quantity for a minimum of three days or until the rescue workers
arrival. The arrival of rescuers depends on the extend of distraction
occurred. Furthermore a proper planning helps the survivors to
continue their life in the midst of breakdown of basic amenities
like electricity, communication system, cooking gas, water, waste
disposal and treatment. The exit time available during the evacuation
plan on sudden warning sign of disaster will be only few seconds
which alarms the necessity of an emergency disaster supply kit
[9]. A paradigm shift towards community based preparedness in recent years is preparation of emergency disaster preparedness kit.
A disaster supplies kit includes all the basic items for the members
of the family in the event of catastrophe. Moreover the scientific
technological advancement or the nature itself will give warning to
disastrous events which can happen at any time either in home, in
vehicle or at office which warrants each one of us to be ready anytime
with basic supplies to sustain our life [10-12].

Disaster Preparedness Kit [10]

Kit location

The exact location of an individual at the time of a disaster
varies. It can be home, work place or being travelling in car. a) At
home: Disaster preparedness kit can be kept at a place which can
be accessible and familiar to everyone in the family. b) Workplace:
Disaster preparedness kit should have to be kept in a container, to
facilitate “take and go” in case immediate warning for evacuation
comes. Make sure you have comfortable walking or running shoes in
your disaster preparedness kit, if evacuation requires walking of long
distances. c) At car: If you are stranded in a car, keep a kit of disaster
supplies in your car. The kit in your car must contain food, water, first
aid supplies, jumper cables, flares and seasonal supplies according to
weather (Table 1).

Contents of kit

1. Water: a) Quantity of water; A normally active person needs
about three quarters of a gallon of fluid daily, from water and other
beverages. Hence forth storing one gallon of water per person for
three days would be adequate. However the following points has to
be taken into consideration while estimating the amount of water to
be kept in disaster preparedness kit: Personal needs vary, depending
on physical condition, gender, age group, activity, dietary pattern
and climatic condition. Children, sick individuals, nursing mothers,
need more amount of water, hot weather condition can double the
amount of water requirement. Furthermore a medical emergency might demands additional quantity of water b) Storage of water: i)
The most reliable supply of water to store is bottled drinking water
from market. The bottle should be unopened till the time of use
and ensure the expiry of water bottle ii) The water can be stored in
unbreakable food grade water storage containers from supply stores
which should be cleaned with dish wash soap solution, and water iii)
Storage containers such as two litre plastic soft drink bottles can be
utilized but preferred to avoid containers that had milk or fruit juice
in them. The following steps are helpful while storing water in plastic
bottles: 1. Thoroughly clean the bottles with soap solution and rinse
out soap completely from it. Sanitize the bottles with one tea spoon of
non-scented liquid domestic chlorine bleach to quarter litre of water.
Swish the solution thoroughly in the bottle to touch all the surfaces
.After sanitization, rinses out the sanitizing solution with clean water.
2. Fill the bottle with commercially treated water, if water is treated
no need for adding anything to cleanse the water. If well water or
from other safe water sources which are not properly treated, add two
drops of non-scented liquid house hold chlorine bleach to the water.
3. Tighten the container with original cap, while capping be careful
enough not to contaminate the cap by touching inside of it with
soiled finger or any other articles. Place the filling date on outside the
container, so that you will come to know when you filled, store it in a
cool, dark place. Replace the water at every six month interval if not
using commercially bottled water.

2. Food: a) Choose salt free cookies, whole grain cereals, and
canned foods with high liquid content and avoid foods that will
make you thirsty b) keep ready canned foods, dry fruits, high calorie
yielding food stuffs like nuts, peanut butter, one box of twelve or
more high-energy bars or snacks. One can of meat or protein such
as spam or underwood chicken spread, other staple food of your
own choice, which does not require refrigeration, cooking, water or
special preparation c) Keep a manual can opener, if you prefer canned
foods. d) Make sure all edibles are marked boldly with an expiry date.
e) special diet is required for babies such as baby food formulas as
per age available in the market [13]. f) For old age persons, with
constipation problem or on a semisolid or liquid diet arrange canned
semisolid or liquid diet [13,14]. g) a minimum of three days supply
of non perishable food should have to be included in the disaster
preparedness kit and has to be changed on time by time, as per expiry date.

3. Other items: The disaster kit should contain the following
other items which are pertinent for the survival apart from the basic
supply of life-water and food. The comprehensive list includes a)
Portable, battery powered radio and extra batteries. b) Flashlight
with extra batteries. c) Whistle to signal for help, metal one is better
than plastic whistle. d) First aid kit which should have plasters in
a variety of different sizes and shapes- small, medium, large sterile
gauze dressings, at least two sterile eye dressings, triangular bandages,
crepe rolled bandages, safety pins, disposable sterile gloves, tweezers,
scissors, alcohol free cleansing wipes, sticky tape, thermometer
preferably digital, skin rash cream such as hydrocortisone, cream
or spray to relieve insect bites and stings, antiseptic cream, pain
killers such as paracetamol, aspirin, ibuprofen, cough medicines, anti
histamine tablets, distilled water for cleaning wounds, eye wash and
eye bath [10]. e) Dust mask to help filter contaminated air and plastic
sheeting and duct tape to shelter in place f) Moist toilettes, garbage
bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation g) Cell phone with power
bank, extra cord for smart phones h) Local map–hard copy of your
residence area i) Mosquito repellents j) Lantern k) Address book
with important phone numbers l) Photocopies of identification and
credit cards with number m) Copies of important papers including
wills and policies n) Clothing including long pants and long sleeve
shirt o) Personal hygiene items tooth paste and ONE tooth brush per
family member p) Utensils. q) Paper and pencils r) Knife s) Extra cash
t) Matches in a water proof container u) Special need items such as
prescription of medications, eye glasses, contact lens and its solution,
hearing aid with batteries’ v) Items for infants such as diapers, feeding
bottle and pacifiers w) Changes of clothing for each family member
[15-18].

Maintenance of kit

The maintenance of kit is equally important as preparation
considering the safety of stored items. The measures which can be
initiated are: a) Keep canned food in a cool, dry place b) Store boxed
food in tightly closed plastic or metal containers to protect from
pests and to extend its shelf life. c) Throw out any canned good that
becomes swollen, dented or corroded d) Use foods before they go bad
and replace them with fresh supplies e) Place new items at the back of
the storage area and older ones in the front. f) Change stored food and
water supplies every six months. Be sure to write the date you store it
on all containers g) Re-think your needs every year and update your
kit as your family’s needs change. h) Keep items in airtight plastic
bags and put your entire disaster supplies kit in one or two easy-tocarry
containers, such as an unused trashcan, camping backpack or
duffel bag [10].

Discussion

The national and international regulatory bodies in the
developing and developed countries have clear-cut policy guidelines
for household emergency preparedness but the depth at which the
knowledge and practice regarding the same has been rooted in the
community is questionable. Indeed the studies carried out in US reveal
that only 30–40% of Americans have emergency supplies or family
communication plans [19] while seventy-five percent of respondents
from another study were categorized as being ‘minimally prepared’
or ‘not prepared’ because of their lack of emergency supplies [20]. The decreased rate of adherence to family disaster preparedness by
preparing and maintaining a disaster kit can be multi factorial a) Lack
of knowledge regarding what to prepare-The public may be unaware
of the concept of disaster kit, items in disaster kit and maintenance of
disaster kit. Much of the information related to disaster preparedness
are internet based and it will not reach the people who do not have
internet access-Multiple channels of communication must be utilized
to diffuse the information on disaster kit to the public [21-28]. b)
Majority of people have an unrealistic sense of optimism and feel no
danger or threats will arise and feel subjectively prepared for disaster
but are objectively unprepared [26,29]. c) People feel that it is quiet
inconvenient to maintain the disaster kit considering the space,
money and time consumed by the same [23,25,26]. d) lack of efficacy
expectations (i.e. the belief that preparedness measures cannot prevent
a disaster. Research need to be conducted regarding the effectiveness
of disaster kit in improving self sufficiency of individuals and disaster
related resilience. The association between being prepared for
disaster and surviving the disaster without outside assistance should
be clearly ruled out by using a household emergency preparedness
instrument which can further strengthen the effectiveness of disaster
preparedness kit. An effective collaboration between the government
agencies and community are essential for disaster preparedness
since it is a dynamic, multifaceted, large-scale public health concern.
Community education on disaster preparedness is the only effective
tool to address the gap existing between the disaster management
authorities and public.

Conclusion

The policies formulated by global organizations on disaster
preparedness have highlighted the roles and responsibilities to be
carried out by the individual and community in mitigating the risk
and vulnerabilities associated with disasters. Moreover empowering
the local level preparedness from the incipient units in the community
i.e. each individual household is an essential part of effective response
and recovery. Furthermore an effective citizen and community
preparedness warrants public awareness and education programs to
ensure citizens will take appropriate advance actions to reduce their
vulnerability especially during the initial days (72hrs) after disaster
impact. The Disaster preparedness kit is an indispensable part of
preparedness and it should start with a gold standard set of essential
supplies. This gold standard should be based on the common
conditions that any natural or manmade disaster would likely
present and equip each household to face the common conditions.
In particular, the common conditions include living without power,
limitations on drinking water, and being unable to leave the home
to acquire additional supplies for a few a days. The goal of a gold
standard is to provide everyone with proven essentials so individuals
and households are empowered to further customize their disaster
supply kits to best serve their unique needs [30]. For people to take
action, they must recognize the hazard, believe it to be avoidable, and
believe that there is an advantage in taking preventative actions [31-
33].